17c起草社区

EVERY major change in a person鈥檚 life requires a catalyst; be it an instigating factor, person, or event. For weight loss, it might be an online health seminar or meeting a personal trainer. When changing careers, it could be the advice of a close friend or mentor.

However, on the subject of coming out, the catalyst usually arrives in the form of a partner or love interest. These are the unassuming victims of our community 鈥� those who throw their hearts so readily on the line in the name of freedom, equality, and love.

They鈥檙e what I like to call 鈥渃loset door handles鈥�. And I used to be one of them.

It all began with Sean 鈥� a doe-eyed TV commercial actor. We were 16 and as close to being 鈥渋n love鈥� as two 16-year-olds can be. There was a problem, though. One small obstacle standing between us and our pubertal brand of happily ever after: his faux-religious and hyper-conservative parents. With a villainous mother and father assumedly plucked straight from the cast of Matilda, it was unsurprising that Sean remained (and possibly still remains) firmly in the figurative closet.

But never fear 鈥� Sam is here!

Whether it stemmed from the superhuman pull of his dimpled grin, or some inherent saviour complex of mine, I was determined to help my so-called lover in whichever way I could. You see, my parents couldn鈥檛 have been more accepting of me being gay. My mother was an emotionally-erratic relationships counsellor, and my father a highly-sensitive would-be poet trapped in the dull motions of a government job.

There was no denying that (when it came to family) I鈥檇 been lucky. Surely it was therefore my moral obligation to help Sean through this challenging phase of his life, just as others had done for me? I accepted the challenge, regardless of any immediate compromise to personal joy. There would be plenty of time for all that good stuff later, I told myself. Once he was out of the closet.

But weeks turned into months, and I slowly grew wary of holding hands beneath dinner tables and sleeping in separate rooms. I wanted him to feel proud of our relationship, not ashamed of it. My patience was wearing thin. I began to wonder whether dating a closeted man was any different to sleeping with a married one. There might be promises of change, promises of a future together 鈥� but at the end of the day what are you left with?

Sean dumped me shortly after that. For another man. I was equal parts heartbroken and relieved. Next time would be different, I said. Next time I鈥檇 fall for a man as comfortable with his sexuality as I was.

But (there鈥檚 always a but) then came Lee.

Lee was a long-haired, bushy-browed street artist from the northern beaches of Sydney. He anxiously approached me one night, slipping a business card (folded to the size of a five-cent coin) into my front pocket. His voice broke with nerves 鈥� he鈥檇 never been out with a guy before. Alas, he assured me I was special. That really should鈥檝e been warning enough 鈥� but it seemed I was already invested. The first date went well, as did the second. I was obviously thrilled and quickly proclaimed my newfound happiness to anyone kind enough to listen.

Our relationship lasted roughly a fortnight. He claimed that (while having never felt this way before) he wasn鈥檛 ready to be seen dating another guy. Ready to date? Sure. Just not ready enough to be caught in the act. The conversation left me devastated, so naturally we drunkenly fornicated soon after. He handled my body as an abstinent Christian boy would his fiance鈥檚 panties. Simultaneously uncomfortable and thrilled.

Lee had pulled it off. He鈥檇 somehow managed to fulfil both his curiosity and sexual desire, all without losing an ounce of street cred. However, in a completely expected twist he has since come out to family and friends. I just hope his gorgeous new boyfriend thinks of me each night while reaping the sun-tanned fruit of my silent labour.

I think the two core problems are these: our inherent feelings of obligation to those struggling with their sexuality, and our community鈥檚 collective attraction to 鈥渁re they or aren鈥檛 they?鈥� straight-y one-eighties. The journey from our closet to the neon lights of Oxford St may not always be a smooth one, but it should always be a personal one. Personal in the sense that you don鈥檛 require another鈥檚 romantic attachment as the soul axis for individual change.

So please, don鈥檛 be the unbeknown 鈥渄oor handle鈥� to another man鈥檚 closet. They鈥檒l grab you, hold you down, give you a pull 鈥� and then let you go.

They鈥檒l be embracing their newfound sexuality, and you鈥檒l be left alone wailing Sam Smith lyrics into an empty pizza box.

Over and out. Samuel Leighton-Dore-Handle.

Samuel Leighton-Dore is a Sydney-based writer and director. His best-selling eBook Love or Something Like It is available now and his children鈥檚 book I Think I鈥檓 A Poof .

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